Given the Circumstances
by ArcyEC
Summary: After Edward left, Bella was left damaged beyond repair...until a certain mechanic entered the picture. Can Jacob make Bella forget her fairytale and plunge her into a romance greater than the first? Starts with the cliff-diving escapade and continues on.
1. Chapter 1

Hiya, guys! This is my first story, and honestly…I have no idea if I'll continue it. It sort of depends on you and what kind of reviews I get. Let me know what you think! This begins where Bella was about to jump off the cliff, except it happened a bit differently. If I got anything wrong regarding the background information, please tell me! It's been a while since I read _New Moon_, I must confess.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Jacob, Bella, or anything else related to Stephenie Meyer's vampire world, _Twilight_. If I did…a lot of things would be different, and the majority of _Breaking Dawn_ wouldn't have happened.

* * *

My body shuddered instinctively as I gazed down at the ocean below, a churning dark abyss. One split-second decision and Edward would be with me, his voice a breath of fresh air in this dark stupor my body now possessed. Muscles tight, I swallowed hard, preparing for the plunge.

"Bella, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

The relief I had expected never came. Instead, the voice startled me and I felt my foot slide off the edge of the rock; I gasped as my face rushed toward the water below. Suddenly, a pair of arms shot around me and locked themselves against my ribcage, battling against the gravity that pulled me forward. My eyes widened as the familiar feeling of protection took over my senses. He was back; Edward had come and saved me. Or had my delusions finally converted my mind to insanity?

It was then that I recognized the warmth on my chest that I knew oh-too well. I looked down and saw the tan, muscular contours of Jacob's arms as he pulled me away from the edge. The strange feeling of security didn't leave, despite my savior not being who I'd originally thought. But I knew what this was, didn't I? Jacob was my safe harbor; it was natural that I'd feel protected by him. Annoyingly, though, some stupid and small part of my brain was telling me this wasn't the same feeling of safety as before. I could feel the heat of his body pressed against mine as we leaned precariously over the cliff. Suddenly I was aware of just how fast my heart was pumping...from the adrenaline rush of nearly falling, of course. Still, I couldn't deny that I trembled a little as his hot breath hissed with disapproval in my ear. "You didn't answer my question."

"Well, you...you just took too long. I wanted to see how it would feel," I stammered, mentally punching myself for not coming up with a better excuse.

A slight chuckle escaped his throat, making my cheeks grow hot. "What are you snickering at?" I demanded.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. Jake laughed again, though a little stiffly, and that time I realized just what he'd heard in my statement. I turned and glared at him with disapproval. Stupid boys and their sick minds, I thought. I felt my face burn as I pivoted and smacked his chest hard, probably doing more damage to myself than my target. His light sniggering stopped abruptly and his eyes lowered to mine, holding something similar to confusion as they gazed down at me. I looked back curiously, wondering what his problem was, when I became aware that my palm was growing hot.

Crap. I had forgotten to take my hand off of his chest when I'd hit him, and no doubt he'd misinterpreted my violence. He probably hadn't even felt the pain, just the pressure of my palm against his skin. I could feel him leaning toward me hesitantly, but with determination in his eyes. Uh oh, I knew that look; I just hadn't expected Jacob to succumb to his hormones so easily like all other teenage boys did at his age. Jake had always seemed more mature than that, like he was ready to wait it out and be patient until this broken old car decided to run again. Which it wouldn't...for him, anyway, and I knew that all too well. I thought I'd made him see that. But if I hadn't, how could I make him see that?

Wasn't he aware of the line I'd drawn? We'd certainly discussed it enough for him to know I didn't want this. _Or maybe he's just tired of being hurt and wants to know the consequences once and for all,_ said the little voice in the back of my head. But I needed him, and I couldn't stand it if rejecting him ruined our friendship. Screw the friendship; I couldn't stand hurting him like this no matter what. There was no way I could stand seeing my personal sun flicker and whither until it was no more than a measly, disappointed candle flame. I tried to think of something to say to stop him as his face grew dangerously closer to mine.

"Aren't you supposed to be out hunting a vampire?" I blurted out quickly, trying to distract him. Even though I had asked just to make him talk, I honestly was curious. Why was he back so early? Had they already finished the mystery vampire off? I shuddered at the thought. My plan worked, sort of; Jacob stopped coming closer, but he didn't back off either.

"She danced around us and managed to make it to the water," he growled, his face taking on the wolf-like mask that, sadly, I was growing accustomed to. His head jerked toward the ocean that I had come so close to swimming in. "Bloodsuckers like her have the advantage there."

It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he just looked up over the top of my head. It was then that I noticed the red rims around his eyes. Now that I took the time to think about it, his amusement a second ago had seemed a bit off...almost forced. Concern flooded through me as I realized his eyes seemed a little glazed. Oh no. Had something happened to one of the pack during the chase? Was it Sam? Embry? I wrapped my flimsy arms around his giant torso; they looked like chalk against his dark complexion. "Jake, what's wrong? Did the vampire...did she hurt somebody?"

"No, nothing like that," he finally said with some effort. "But Harry Clearwater...he had a heart attack."

He looked down at the ground then, but he was so tall that I could still see his face clearly. It was screwed up in a grimace so pained that I felt the hot tears well out and over my own cheeks. Something must be really wrong with Harry if Jake was this upset. I just could not handle seeing him hurt. "Is he...?"

"It doesn't look so good right now."

"Oh."

"C'mon Bella, I'll take you home," Jake said, and I could tell he was trying to look strong, but he couldn't fool me. I just snuggled into his bare chest and hugged him harder.

I knew it was a lie, but I couldn't help adding, "Everything's going to be alright, Jake."

"Sure, sure," he said, touching his hot cheek to my hair. We stood like that for a while, inches away from the cliff side. I had hoped that Jake would be less upset by now, but nothing seemed to have changed. I wracked my brain for something to say, something to do to make his pain go away. Even his breathing was becoming slightly unsteady, though I didn't think he knew I was aware of that. Slowly I brought my lips to his shoulder, having no other ideas of how to comfort him.

That was a mistake. I should have predicted his reaction given what had occurred five minutes before, but in the intensity of the moment I'd forgotten all about Jake's futile wish that our relationship was more than just that of close friends. How I could forget that I'll never know, but the next thing I did know was that I was back in exactly the same situation I'd been trying to prevent before. "Bells?" Jacob said, confusion clearly present in his voice this time. Again, his face moved slowly towards my own. Whether it was purely the hormones or a yearning for comfort this time, I couldn't tell for sure. I edged back a tad. He inched forward. _No, Jake, please don't do this!_

"Oh shi-" was all I heard after that. I couldn't be sure if it was Jake or me that cussed; in my momentary panic I had taken a step backwards, and that was all it took. Jake stepped forward blinded by lust, no doubt, and suddenly I was rushing back-first toward the icy whirlpool below. The last thing I saw was Jacob's face before we plunged into the freezing depths, pain shooting through my whole body as I made contact with the waves. The next moment Jake and I were being tossed like the ocean's playthings.

I squeezed my eyes shut, begging for the pain to stop and pleading that we'd make it out alive. I could never forgive myself if I caused Jacob's death, no matter how stupid and high on testosterone he was. My lungs began to burn with their need of oxygen, and a snarl raged through my mind. Edward's voice rampaged through my entire frame. _I thought I told you not to do anything reckless, Bella. Now look where you are!_

I was sinking fast, and suddenly I couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. The growl turned into a moan, and then to a desperate plea. _Bella, think! Please, Bella, use your legs! SWIM._

I tried to obey, I really did, but everything was turning black. The darkness seemed to be crushing my very being into nothing more than a walnut-sized pinch of pain. I didn't even know if Jake was still with me, or if we'd been torn apart by the waves. A strong surge of water knocked me forcefully into a hard, cold surface. Lights danced behind my dark eyelids, and for some reason I started apologizing to everyone I could think of. Charlie's face flashed before my eyes, and I said sorry for not spending more time with him. I begged Billy's forgiveness for hurting (and possibly accidentally killing) his son. I apologized to my friends for making them worry about my sanity. Most of all, I told Edward I wished I could have been all that he'd wanted, and that this wasn't his fault. More regrets tried to stain my mind, but darkness beat them to my consciousness.

* * *

"Bells," said something. I cringed internally as an annoying noise disturbed my peacefulness. There had been a lot of pain and a lot of water, and then it had disappeared. What if I woke up and it all came back?

"C'mon Bella, I know you're in there. You're too tough to bail on me now. Breathe!" I was dimly aware of the fact that my mouth was open and that something warm was pressing down on my lips, pressing hot air down my throat. I also became aware of when that warmth left and an icy chill replaced it, except this feeling traveled through my entire body rather than just my face. My muscles ached, and I was suddenly all too aware of a throbbing on my head. I tensed, and instantly regretted doing so as an agonizingly sharp pain on my right side made itself known. Then the warmth returned to my mouth and the pain subsided a little.

I smiled slightly at the pressure against my lips, regaining my senses somewhat. I moaned as it left again, reaching out with my hands to try and reel the warmth closer. Then I heard a sigh of relief, followed by "Like that, do you?"

Eyes still shut and mind still in a slight daze, I nodded. The warmth returned then, gently, and thankfully it didn't leave. I just let it spread comfortingly through my senses, bringing me back to the living. I felt more of the warmth slide around my chest and down my back. I winced a little as the heat passed over my aching side. Finally, my eyes fluttered open, only to be met by a mass of shaggy black hair and two chocolate brown pupils. There was Jake's face, not totally hurt-free, but better. At least he was smiling. His white teeth practically glowed against the rest of his face. "Awake, are we?"

"Uh, I think so," I couldn't be sure. It all still felt too much like a dream. The pleasant tingle of his warm hands on the small of my back, arching me closer to him; this moment seemed so perfect. Maybe it was the salt water, or maybe the lack of oxygen that hadn't come from Jake's lungs was making me loopy. He seemed pleased that my reaction was dazed, and leaned closer to judge my reaction while my eyes were open.

What are you doing, Bella? It's Jacob! He's your best friend. You love Edward. Edward...suddenly that name didn't seem as important as it had a few moments ago. Jake leaned closer. Edward...who was that again? His lips pressed cautiously against my own. I couldn't even remember what the name was. All I could think of was the press of Jacob's body against mine, propped up on his elbows so he wouldn't crush me. My instincts took over, and I started to kiss him back. Holy crap, what was wrong with me?

"Ouch! Dammit!" I had started to wrap my arm around Jacob's neck, and in doing so had caused another agonizing flare of pain in my side. I sat up abruptly, causing Jake's forehead and mine to smack together, no doubt adding another bruise to my count. My palms shoved at Jake's chest, and this time he read my implications perfectly. It probably didn't hurt that I shouted at him to get off, either.

I took a quick glance around, reorienting myself with my surroundings. I was on the beach; I assumed Jake had swum the both of us to shore. The waves licked the brown sand near my feet as if they hoped to drag me back into their depths.

I clutched at my side, trying to make the throbbing go away. "What the hell did you do to me, Jake?" I knew I shouldn't blame him, since the logical explanation was that whatever was hurting had been injured by the tide or something it had slammed me into. But now that I was fully aware of what was happening, I wasn't too keen on being nice, especially when I hurt all over in the first place. How could he use me like that, when I wasn't even conscious?

Jacob gaped at me with an expression of what could be nothing other than incredulity. My conscience told me that I was being way too hard on him; after all, I _had_ started to kiss him back. What else would he expect? Certainly a reaction such as this wasn't exactly logical...for normal people. But since when had I been able to call myself normal?

What scared me the most was that I had actually enjoyed our mini-make-out, or at least what I could recall of it. Considering I hadn't actually been wanting his lips, however, I thought I had a pretty good excuse to act like a jerk. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be warm when your clothes were practically icing over, and Jake knew my boundaries. Why was it that he always attempted to push them over? It wasn't like it was some flimsy picket fence that a two-ton wolf could easily topple; this was the Berlin wall, the border between Texas and Mexico. It didn't just crumple that easily...it _wouldn't_.

Jake just continued to stare at me, his jaw still unable to locate the roof of his mouth. Finally, he managed to sputter out, "What did I do? I just saved your freaking life!"

"Yeah, but last time I took health class CPR didn't involve prolonged lip-lock," I countered, fuming. I could feel the angry color slowly rising to my moist cheeks.

As he stood there contemplating what to say to that, Jake eyed my blush with a smirk. "What?" I demanded.

Once again he replied with that simply infuriating answer, but drawing out the word tauntingly this time: "Oh, _nothing_."

"I cannot believe you!" I hollered, wincing as the spot where my rib was probably broken reacted to my inflated lungs. "If I hadn't been totally assaulted by those waves, I'd...I'd-"

That last, pained facial expression got Jake to pay attention to how bedraggled I really was. _Finally, some sympathy,_ I thought. Not all of us could be invincible, freaky, mythical creatures. Unlike the majority of my friends, I could actually get hurt by natural disasters. His face took on a troubled, apologetic mask.

"Bells, I know you're mad at me, but at least let me look at that," he said, eying my side pointedly. I shot daggers at him with my gaze, hoping he'd get the message despite my lack of words. It seemed better to focus on breathing only and avoid any unnecessary lung-inflation.

Jake sighed and walked over to where I stood among the soggy sand and pebbles, ignoring my hostile behavior. I flinched away as he tried to feel where my ribcage threatened to collapse, or at least that's what it felt like. He looked up at me through his dripping hair with disapproval, "If it really hurts that much, you should let me take you to the doctor."

"Just leave me alone, Jake. I'm going home," I said, knowing all-too-well I was being irrational. The embarrassment of kissing my best friend still hadn't worn off. Stubbornly, I turned and began to walk toward where I thought the road was.

"Uh, Bella, you do realize your truck is at the top of the cliff, right?"

"Whatever. I'll walk back up there."

Jake rolled his eyes. "There's no way I'm letting you hobble all the way up there by yourself with a vampire on the loose, Bella. Be reasonable."

"You're welcome to follow, Jacob, but I am _not_ using you as a personal crutch," I argued heatedly. The annoying voice in my head returned then, reminding me that I had been using Jacob as my crutch for the past six months and it was stupid to stop now. I yelled silently at the voice to can it and continued walking up the beach.

Jake huffed, realizing my intentions wouldn't budge. "Fine. Do what you want."

"Fine!"

But as I turned to keep struggling through the sand lamely, the world suddenly turned upside down. Before my slow, human brain could register what had just happened, Jake's face was staring down at mine. Having shoved his left arm around the crease behind my knee and his right behind my head, I now laid awkwardly next to his bare-naked chest, carried like a swooning damsel-in-distress up the hill. Despite our little spat, Jake chuckled at the shock plain on my face. "You didn't expect me to give up that easily, did you?"

Stupid, crazy-fast mutt. I elbowed him in the ribs, realizing too late it wouldn't make a difference. Great, another bruise. Just what I needed.

* * *

So there you have it! Questions, comments, praise, criticism? Anything's welcome, and if I do write another chapter I'll try to answer all of your questions at the bottom of the chapter. I've got lots of ideas, but I need motivation, so I'll see what reviews I get. Until then, happy reading!


	2. Chapter 2

So yeah, I got inspired by Eclipse to write more. I had most of this chapter sitting on my laptop for a couple of weeks, but I just didn't have the motivation to finish! Hopefully now that my puppy love for Jake has been renewed (haha, puns...anywho), we'll be seeing more of this story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything in it, but I know what (or rather, who) I would take if I could take something. Oh, the possibilities!

* * *

"Put me down, Jacob."

"Nope," he replied infuriatingly with a large grin, loudly popping the 'P' as he enjoyed my discomfort.

"Put me _down_," I said, hoping to sound tough and threatening. The tiny, agitating voice laughed at my attempt. _As if you could really sound mighty to a werewolf._ What a stupid, totally unhelpful conscience.

"Nuh-uh," Jake teased as he made his way across the beach, not even breaking a sweat as the deep sand sunk in with the presence of our combined weight.

"Please?" I begged halfheartedly with a glare that contradicted my tone, all the while secretly marveling at the strength of Jake's muscles as they tirelessly carried the two of us across the beach.

"Well, when you put it that way…no."

I signed in exasperation. "Why?"

"Because," he said oh-so-comically, "you're likely to trip over thin air and break a rib on your other side, given your amount of luck with bodily injuries." He then trailed off with some half-spoken statement that I didn't catch. I normally would have asked him to repeat what he'd said, but didn't bother, assuming it to be another insult to my lack of vertical stability.

"Ha ha," I laughed dryly, giving him a look that expressed the exact amount of amusement I found in his comment, despite the fact that he was probably right. I wracked my brain for a way to make Jake put me down, desperate to remove myself from the awkward position in case anyone happened to walk up. God forbid Quil or Embry find us like this; I'd never hear the end of it. Still irate about the little scene at the beach, I decided to try one last, cruel tactic. Normally I wouldn't have dreamed of being so shamelessly evil, but given the circumstances, I wasn't feeling particularly forgiving.

"I hate you, Jacob Black," I muttered, almost wincing at the harshness of my statement. Almost.

I felt Jake's chest tense up as he ceased walking, then relax again. To my great displeasure, a loud, booming laugh racked Jake's frame. It still wasn't exactly right, given the recent news of Harry's condition, but nevertheless it ticked me off even more. His stomach muscles rippled as his chuckles travelled through his body, creating an unpleasant bouncing rhythm for my bruises to endure. Jake shook his head as his guffaws ceased. "C'mon Bells, you know you don't mean that. And no, I'm still not putting you down. Besides, of all people you could choose to hate…" he trailed off jokingly, albeit a tad…bitterly?

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded angrily, not quite catching on to the uncomfortable look that had crossed his face as he said it until the words had already left my mouth.

Jacob shook his head back and forth once more, this time with disbelieving eyes rather than those that twinkled with amusement. As he slowly continued to sift through the brush that fought to grow through such unsteady ground, I noted the abrupt change in the atmosphere of our conversation immediately. He chose to leave my question unanswered until I threatened to throw myself off of the cliff again if he didn't tell me what was bothering him. He laughed lightly at that, and I became aware of my anger slowly fading away. I had hoped to stay mad at him a bit longer, given the severity of his actions and his need for punishment in my mind, but it was impossible for me to glower at the sun for too long. Its brightness would outshine any darkness I harbored.

He answered reluctantly and cautiously, almost as if he were afraid of my reaction. What would he have to be afraid of? A sigh escaped his lips, blowing hot breath all over my face. I was tempted to smack him for it, considering his dog breath (literally), but the sadness in his eyes stopped me.

"Bella, you need to realize what he did to you. I don't think you fully understand how broken you were after he…left," he pushed out, judging my emotions. A part of me added on _how broken you still are_ to what he'd said, causing the hole in my chest to pulse with a solemn, sore beat. I felt my face grow hot as the moisture gathered in my eyes, but I fought the tears back desperately, hoping to appear strong.

I should have known I couldn't fool Jake, though. He halted smoothly on the side of the road, us having made it there without my realizing it. His deep brown eyes gazed through his mess of black hair over my face, now a blotchy red and stained with two soft tears. Although my eyes were wet with moisture, obscuring my vision, I was still aware of his body lowering slowly onto the turf until he sat caressing me like a small child. I allowed myself to lean into his embrace, seeking the comfort I so desperately needed. His arms wrapped around my little frame protectively as they brought my face to his shoulder. If my body hadn't been in the condition it was, I would have wrapped my arms around his torso and hid my face from his view. Given the pain that would surely follow any intentional movement, however, I simply allowed myself to rest on his shoulder, weeping softly.

* * *

After what I assumed to be around ten minutes, I grew quiet, feeling horribly guilty. It had been selfish and cruel to take advantage of Jake that way, using him as a protective fortress while sure he was close to crumbling himself. As I slowly lifted my face from his soaked, warm shoulder, he did likewise and I took in the once-again redness of his eyes. A cold chill I hadn't noticed before seeped through my shirt where Jake's head had been resting, making me aware of the damp spot, and I wondered at the fact that I hadn't noticed the extent of his pain.

I carefully brought my arms around one of his and held it for a moment, the best I could do without hurting myself physically. He smiled at my gesture gratefully and unwrapped himself from my little embrace, standing with a grunt as he stretched his back. I soon saw why as he helped me to my feet and my own body ached from the stiff position it had taken on. I twisted my own back stupidly, hoping to freshen up my joints and remembering belatedly that my ribcage still throbbed.

"Ouch!" I complained loudly, breaking the tense silence. Jake laughed.

"I told you you'd hurt yourself if I let you walk on your own two feet," he said, a broad grin slowly replacing the pained expression his face had recently possessed. His tan arm gestured up the long, painful trek I'd soon have to endure. "Now, should I carry you up the road, or will I have to worry uselessly as you stumble and trip up the hill?"

"Oh hush, you know it's impossible to trip upwards," I contradicted, playing along.

Jake looked at me disbelievingly. "Well, I'm sure you could find a way, Bells."

"So what you're saying is that I either need to be carried or dragged up a hill to avoid falling on my face?"

"Exactly…I take it back, you're mostly right. I'm sure being lead by the hand would suffice," he said happily, offering his own for mine to take hold of.

I looked at it skeptically. "Are you sure you want to risk loss of limb by connecting yourself to this health hazard?" I joked, motioning to myself. My eyes flew wide open in shock as I marveled at my pitiful humor. Had I actually cracked a joke? I grasped at the hole in my chest, searching for the part of me that cringed at the notion of amusement. It seemed lighter than before. I observed this in astound wonder. Maybe crying on someone's shoulder really was what I needed.

Jacob seemed oblivious to my new found revelation, however, as his face looked away from a moment and returned with a piercing gaze.  
The seriousness of his tone surprised me as his strong grasp enveloped my miniscule appendage. "I think I'll take the chance."

I looked at him quizzically, confusion plain on my face. He shrugged, rolling his eyes at me playfully, and elaborated with a toothy grin, "Your friendship's worth all the hands in the world, Bella."

"Oh come now, I doubt I'm that fun," I muttered, embarrassed by his praise. A rosy blush tinted my cheeks…I really did not deserve him as a best friend.

"Well," he continued, trailing of with a mocked expression of doubt, "it does get kind of hard to ignore the smell. You could bathe once in a while."

At that, Jake took his free hand and waved it in front of his face, as if repulsed by my imaginary odor. "That's rich coming from someone who tussles in the dirt with dogs," I snickered, finding it easier and easier to insert some humor.

"Ah, touché."

* * *

Our gentle bantering continued all the way up to my truck, echoing off the ever-so-silent trees. Once or twice I proved Jacob's point by tripping over some nonexistent rock or twig, dangling my intact bones over a miniscule cliff of destruction. Of course, Jacob was there to catch me each time, always being careful to avoid the sensitive bruises that covered my…well, everything. His strong, confident arms would tie around my waist as soon as I threatened to topple over onto the cement.

Eventually, we did make it to my beloved automobile, despite my numerous stumbles. As he released my hand, Jake politely offered to drive, which I thankfully accepted. There was no way my arms would stand grasping the wheel all the way to my house. But as we clambered in, I on the passenger's side, I remembered something.

"Jake?"

"Hmm?" he answered, not really paying attention as he studied how I was treating my truck. He eyed the slot where my radio had been with a touch of pain. I winced, trying to ignore the physical and mental ache.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure Bells. Why would I say no?" he queried as he climbed in and revved the engine, obviously confused by my question. I wasn't sure why I'd asked permission myself, but continued anyway. I gave him a quizzical stare.

"What were you about to say?"

Jacob's eyes searched my face with nothing but more perplexity. Obviously he didn't know what I was referencing to. Hoping he'd catch on, I elaborated. "Whenever I was begging you to put me down, you know," I began, waiting for his confirming nod to keep going, "you muttered something after telling me I couldn't walk across a flat surface safely."

Chocolate brown eyes slowly shifted from non-comprehension to understanding. His large hands gripped the wheel tightly, wringing the metal device. "You might get mad if I tell you."

I rolled my eyes, hoping this wouldn't be another insult. "Just spit it out, Jake. I'm sure I can take another one of your blows to my unbalanced self-esteem."

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "It's got nothing to do with your equilibrium, Bells."

I felt myself growing annoyed with him again. If it wasn't my clumsiness he was insulting, what was it?

Forcing myself to allow him time to frame whatever it was he wanted to say without pissing me off, I waited. The steady hum of the truck as it sat on the side of the road was the only noise that was brave enough to break the silence. Finally, my patience wore out and I changed tactics. I put on a puppy dog face and stuck out my bottom lip, hoping it would ease the tension. It worked. Jacob cracked a small smile and sighed.

"You sure you want to know?

"Not exactly."

"But...?"

"Tell me anyway."

He sighed. "Okay. You know how, when you get a headache, your head gets all...hot? Almost like something is heating and compressing your skull at the same time?"

I nodded, not sure how this related to anything we'd been talking about.

"Well, it's like that for me all over, all the time. Sure, it's nice that I never get cold, but no one ever said it was comfortable either. I just have this dull, pulsing headache beating through my body all the time. The breeze eases the throbbing a little," he explained, gesturing to his shirtless self, "but it never makes it go away completely."

"Okay, that makes sense. But I don't get it; what does that have to do with me?" I said, tilting my head as I tried to fathom where he was going with this.

I saw his foot shuffle against the brake pedal awkwardly. "I was saying that I didn't want to put you down because it felt...nice."

"Uh," I started, scrambling for words that didn't want to come, "I'm not sure I follow."

Jacob placed his palm over the back of my hand, burning hot against my cool skin. "You see how warm I feel to you? Imagine it the other way around."

I tried not to shy away from the familiarity. Imagining what such a feeling was like was unnecessary, having experienced it first hand. I was no stranger to cold skin. My mind had no trouble comprehending that comparison.

"So," I began, "am I like some sort of ice pack for your constant headache?"

He confirmed my assumption with an amused nod. "Yeah, something like that. It didn't hurt that your clothes were wet, either. I feel pretty damn comfortable right now, actually."

Then a wary, unsure mask overtook his face once more. "Of course, it's not the strongest cause," he stated quietly, "but it's one of the reasons I like holding your hand so much."

His hand squeezed mine softly, causing goosebumps to erupt on my arm as his heat traveled across my damp limbs. I once again longed for that warmth to protect me from the chilly air. Jacob noticed my discomfort, but said nothing. It looked like my boundaries had finally sank in, but for once I needed to break them.

"Jake? Since it feels nice, do you mind if I get you wet again?" I was aware of the innuendo even as the words left my lips, but how else were you supposed to say something like that?

"That's the second time you've asked my permission to do something today," he said with a playful grin. "I'm not used to this humble attitude, Ms. Swan. Are you sure you're not catching a fever?"

"Oh just shut up, you big space heater," I murmured, scooting carefully over to Jake's side and laying my head on his shoulder once again.

I felt his body relax in order to accommodate for my presence. "Gladly."

After what seemed like ages of sitting there, Jacob finally shifted from "Park" to "Drive". The truck sped up to what I guessed to be forty miles an hour before I slowly faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

Well, there you have it! Sorry it's a bit short. Let me know what you think of chapter two in your reviews. Remember, it's you guys that keep me going! Hopefully I won't feel the need to ask for them after a while.

Oh, and while you're at it, let me know what you thought of the movie! I personally liked it, but the ending made me sad. Please, no spoilers for those who haven't seen it!


	3. Chapter 3

Woooh, another chapter! And guess what, guys? I got a ton of ideas last night and I think I know how to totally frame this story, eeee! 3 Now we get to finally see some action other than Jacob/Bella drama. Not that I don't love the drama. ;)

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I still don't own Twilight. Darn.

* * *

_My eyes flew open only to find endless, churning darkness. As a strangled scream escaped my throat to call for Jacob, what felt like hundreds of pounds of salty water charged down my esophagus, cutting my shriek short. I became aware of my truck's presence around me, dragging me down as it sunk slowly to the sandy seafloor. _

_I dug my nails into the seat belt, just managing to release to catch of the buckle. My head thumped painfully against the roof of the vehicle as I crawled out of the conveniently-shattered window, only to wish I'd never escaped my mechanical prison. The cruel water stole the tears' touch away from my face, but I easily recognized their presence as emotion overwhelmed me. There, strapped to the bed of my truck, lay a lifeless, russet wolf. I knew this creature, but at the moment my hysterics made it impossible to recognize it. Its blood stained the black water red as streams of life escaped from the animal's mouth. Deep gashes in the shape of vicious bite marks littered its side, slowing turning the auburn fur a painfully familiar crimson. Crouched over the corpse was a macabre figure, clothes and hair stained by the canine's lifeblood. A horrible mane of red hid the vampire's face from my view, but I instantly recognized her. Victoria's sickeningly cheery face turned to face my direction, two brilliantly white fangs flashing tauntingly as they dripped blood._

M_y lungs burned as I gasped for air, clawing for the surface as I desperately searched for release from this oceanic hell. Waves threatened to rip me to pieces as I was thrown against the black, ominous cliff side. I kicked and thrashed aimlessly, fighting the certain doom that lingered over my head. Victoria's silhouette rose, hiding the wolf from my view temporarily. Her body floated gracefully upwards in an arch as she began her descent toward where I drifted hopelessly. As she propelled herself ever closer, wild hair fanning her wicked face, I prepared for the worst and chanced a last glimpse at where the dead animal lay. I chocked yet again on more seawater as I gasped in horror at what I saw. There, rather than the wolf, was my Jacob, chained to the truck bed as his life was stolen from him by the sea. _

_To my surprise, my voice rang clear as a bell through the deadly abyss as I sobbed. "Jake! No, don't leave me. Jacob! _Jacob!_"_

"Bella! I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. Wake up, Bells!" I shook my head in confusion. What? Jake was...alive? How was that possible?

It was then that the weight of a fitful sleep crashed over me like a ton of heavy bricks. My eyes protested as they blinked open, allowing the full light of the day to wash over them. Jacob stared at me, wide-eyed, concern blatant on his features. My befuddled brain fought to comprehend his living presence and the lack of water.

"Jeez, Bella, you're really pale! What happened?"

"Uh," I let out, finally beginning to enter the waking world. Suddenly, my eyes popped fully open as a revelation hit me. Crap! Why hadn't I thought of it before?

"Jake, what does the vampire that keeps coming here look like?"

Jacob's shock at my abrupt question decorated his face. "What? Well, she has the most ginger hair I've ever seen and she acts like some sort of cat," he paused as my expression of recognition stared back at him. "She's not a friend of yours, is she? Bella, she's killing people! Her eyes are red; we can't just ignore -"

I cut him off abruptly. "No, she's not my friend! Her name is Victoria. She -"

But I was interrupted as my truck was jarred to the point of nearly falling sideways, dangerously close to the cliff's edge, close enough to make my dream a reality. A rough gasp escaped my scratchy throat as searing pain shot from my broken rib through my body. The window on Jake's side shattered, shaking the car again and scattering broken glass across the floor beneath the seats. I clung to Jacob's arm in panic, only to realize that his muscles had begun to tremble violently. Jake looked at me commandingly. "Stay in the truck. Get up, you idiot!"

The cruel tone of his voice confused me, until I realized the second demand had not been meant for me. The massive, dark gray shape of a wolf emerged next to the truck, bleeding from its head from where it had collided with the window. I may not have memorized the canine physique of every single pack member yet, but these black eyes I instantly recognized as the wolf that had nearly attacked me a few months ago. Paul.

Jake leaped out of the truck, shape blurring dangerously until russet fur burst forth from his body and each limb elongated until he was the size of a horse. A long, dark muzzle erupted from his face, completing the split-second transformation. Heavy, gigantic paws slammed into the earth, shaking the remains of his poor, shredded shorts off and causing the truck to tremble yet again. Paul stepped to his brother's side, limping slightly. Jacob's ears pinned back while an enraged snarl escaped his maw, threatening something my human eyes had yet to see. I peered outside the frame of my nonexistent window, squinting into the darkness of the forest in hopes of spotting what was coming. Finally, I found what I was looking for.

A shadowy figure crept out of the trees, crouched low to the ground. Her mane of chestnut hair played in the wind, each curl catching beautifully, but terribly. Her lips were drawn back in a toothy grimace, eyes shooting daggers at the wolf that she'd thrown at my truck. Paul's gravelly growl rumbled deep in his chest in return.

Victoria's scarlet eyes shot to where I sat in the truck, popping open with unsuppressed shock. She looked back at the wolves, then at me, as if attempting to comprehend our relationship. A cruel grin slowly spread across her lips while an idea apparently formed in her head. "Why hello there, Isabella."

The sing-song tone of her voice stumped me. I guess I'd always thought she would sound like a jungle cat, fierce and low vocally. She sounded like a fluffy Persian kitten, not a jaguar as I'd always assumed. The funny thing was, it was a hell of a lot worse. I started to shrink back in fear until I remembered the wolves, standing boldly and courageous in the face of danger. If Jake could be brave, so could I.

As Victoria voiced my name, Jacob's ears pricked up in shock for a brief moment. He didn't turn to judge my reaction, though, probably because Victoria would seize the opportunity to strike. Instead, one large brown paw after the other sidestepped right and backwards until I was nearly blocked from the vampire's view. His ears returned to their threatening position, flat against the back of his skull as a booming, sinister bark was shot from his jaws at Victoria. The russet fur of his coat fluffed out, hair along his hackles rising. My huntress once spoke again, but this time to Jacob.

"Listen, mutt. I had my suspicions about your kind being smarter than dumb animals, and that little metamorphosis you just triggered has proven my point. Obviously some of these dogs are family of yours, and you wouldn't want to see more of them get hurt, would you?" she queried evilly, eying Paul meaningfully. I couldn't see Jake's face from my position, but I assumed it wasn't anything resembling friendly.

"I have a proposition for you. Surrender that girl to me," she continued, tilting her head as she held my gaze evenly, "and I promise to leave your pack of friends and this town alone. That seems fair, doesn't it?"

I had a decent view of Paul's expression, and was afraid when it appeared contemplative. The wolves must have been having a telepathic argument, for the massive russet head that was Jake snarled in Paul's direction before barking something at Victoria that sounded oddly like, "No way in hell."

I grasped for the furry side that stood protectively in front of me and clutched a tuft of fur, frightened beyond reason. Victoria's bloody eyes caught my gesture curiously, evaluating my actions, before returning to the wolves to speak once more in that strangely innocent voice.

"Okay, I see how this is going to go. I'm outmatched, but you won't move out of the way at the risk that I get past you." Jacob coughed in a way that sounded like bitter snickering, causing Victoria's eyes to blaze. "This isn't the end, fool. You've made the wrong choice."

With that parting statement, she whipped around and sprinted through the trees, too fast for my eyes to follow. Jake refused to budge an inch, and Paul mimicked his behavior. Both wolves stood like sentries, eying the trees through dark eyes full of suspicion.

After a good ten minutes, I actually grew fed up with their paranoia, despite the horrible event. Assuming Victoria was gone, I allowed myself to relax, fingers stroking the werewolf's russet fur soothingly. I felt the hair lie flat when Jake's wolfish muscles began to relax, and sighed as the breath that he seemed to have been holding huffed out through his nostrils. I leaned back onto the seat of the truck with a thud and allowed a few tears to fall that I'd been reserving in case something really did go wrong. Damn, I was crying a lot today.

I was starting to grow curious as to why Jake wasn't phasing when the brush began to rustle violently. My breath caught in my throat, fearing she had returned, until a mass of black fur made it's way into view, heavily panting. So they hadn't just been stubborn; they'd been waiting. Sam emerged, eyes darting left and right warily before crossing to where Jake and Paul stood waiting. Two wolves followed that I didn't recognize. One was the typical smokey gray, which I assumed to be Embry due to his lankiness. The other was slightly shorter and more agile in appearance with a glossy, light silver coat. I didn't recognize this one at all, but felt a little frightened as I watched its eyes dart every which way in a sort of frenzied, paranoid manner.

As the silver wolf stepped onto the road, I felt Jake tense up again. Did he have some kind of beef with this one? I scrutinized the animal's uneasy appearance, attempting to make heads or tails of who it was, but no one came to mind.

Finally able to relax, Jacob stepped over to the wolf that I assumed was Embry and looked at me pointedly. He aimed his nose toward the two pairs of sweats tied to the wolf's leg before turning back to me. Heat flooded my face as I understood. The Jacob wolf rolled its eyes and tilted his head in a way that I assumed was a signal to turn around. I obeyed gladly, shifting so that I faced toward the edge of the cliff. Movement in one of my side view mirrors caught my eye and I was given a direct view of where the russet wolf was beginning to blur. As curious as I was to see Jake's transformation back into a human, I did not want to risk seeing anything else...sacred.

I hastily shut my eyes and waited until I heard Jacob shout the okay to face him again before turning. There he was in all his half-naked glory, donning a pair of cutoff black sweat pants. He thanked Sam and the others for coming before clambering into the truck that, bless its little engine, had been running the entire time it had been mauled by, or rather with, a gigantic wolf. Jake shifted gears, nodded solemnly to Sam, and forced the vehicle back onto the road.

"Looks like your truck is going to need some work," he said stiffly, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, sure does," I replied a bit awkwardly, not knowing how to start a discussion of the current events.

Suddenly Jake's fist slammed against the steering wheel, causing me to flinch back. "Why are all these sadistic bloodsuckers after you, Bella?" he demanded, not taking his steely eyes off of the road. I could guess what other "sadistic" vampire he was referring to, but chose to ignore it. As far as I knew, Jake had no knowledge of the happenings involving James. Jake continued angrily, fists clenched. "You know her, right? What's the deal _this time_?"

That hurt. "I don't ask for all this to happen! I just have the worst luck ever when it comes to meeting eccentric, violent monsters."

"Including me?" he joked bitterly.

"Jacob, you know that's not what I meant," I sighed, exasperated. "Can we please just focus on the situation?"

"Just checking," he snapped back, then sighed and wrapped me into a gentle, one-armed hug. "I'm sorry, Bells. I know it's not your fault."

"I know. I've learned to not take that wolfish temper of yours seriously," I teased.

He grinned, then put on a stern, let's-get-down-to-business face. "But really, why did she ask for you?"

I looked down for a moment, preparing myself for a painful flood of memories. "You remember how I fell through that window before prom and screwed up my leg?"

"Yeah...so?"

"Well, I didn't exactly just trip down the stairs," I started, wincing as familiar, pale faces flashed across my brain's eye. "There weren't any windows involved, actually," I continued, twisting my arm to expose the ice-cold, nearly invisible scar.

Jake's intake of breath startled me, but I remained still as he reached to touch where my skin was forever colder than the rest. His finger drew back as I felt a static jolt tingle the marred area. The temperature change was quite dramatic there, I reasoned briefly.

"Did he do this to you? I thought he cared about you in some freakish, undead way. I never thought he'd go so far as to-" I knew exactly who he was referring to. Jacob's hand began to jitter slightly, and I laid mine on top of it soothingly, cutting him off.

"Of course not, Jake. It wasn't...Edward," I struggled with pronouncing the stale name. "It was another vampire named James. He's kind of the reason Victoria hates me."

* * *

Jacob was patient as I told my story, listening quietly and not interrupting except for the occasional swear word or insult to vampires. Of course he'd growl or punch something once in a while to get his anger out, but I was glad that I could finally tell him everything without keeping secrets. I told him about my birthday party as well, which made my eyes glaze over and water a tad, but I forced myself to remain on task and not start another sob-fest. The twenty minutes it took to get to my house weren't nearly enough time to tell him everything in detail, but I managed to skim and emphasize the important parts, such as the fiasco in Phoenix.

Now it was my turn to get some answers. "Who were the two wolves that showed up with Sam?"

"Oh, the bigger one was Embry and the well-groomed one was, well, Leah Clearwater," he said hesitantly.

I eyed him with concern. "Is that, like, normal?"

"There aren't any records of female wolves, but who knows? Most of what we know is based on patrilineal ancestry, so there's not a lot of references to the girls," he explained, then added quietly, "Her phasing was the reason Harry had a heart attack. He'd never expected his daughter to turn. She wouldn't have come, but she's having issues phasing back."

"That must be hard for her..." I trailed off, contemplating the enormity of Leah's problems. To be an outcast from your own kind was something I knew mildly from my life in Phoenix, but this was sure to be a hundred times worse. Plus, she'd probably killed her own father. A great rush of sympathy overwhelmed me, but I reminded myself that this was no time for an emotional breakdown. Again. "Why did the three of them come in the first place?"

"Well, I needed clothes to drive you to the hospital for one thing, and the Sam and Leah came as a precaution, just in case the bloodsucker was still around," he explained. I sensed there was more to the story, but let it slide given the circumstances.

As we pulled into the driveway, I was thankful that Charlie's police cruiser was no where to be found. No doubt he was still at the station, working on the cases of Victoria's unfortunate victims. I opened my door with a bit of difficulty and struggled to get out, leaning on Jacob's ever steady figure for support. I looked at him quizzically. "I thought we were going to the hospital?"

"We are, but I figured you would probably want to change out of your salty clothes first." _And avoid having to explain what happened,_ I tagged on silently. I still would, no doubt, but being dry would help when it came to making up something.

"Right," I replied as I hobbled up our miniscule porch and into the house. Jake insisted on scoping out the place first, but once he cleared it headed straight for the fridge, as was typical, after helping me up the stairs. Good thing, too, because I managed to trip twice.

"I'll be down in a minute," I said at the normal volume level, knowing he'd hear me with his wolf-ears and not wanting to risk inflating my lungs too much. Jake hollered something that sounded like "Okay," through a mouthful of sandwich or something, causing me to chuckle a little.

The last thing I heard was belch of a werewolf before shutting my door.

* * *

~Well, that was fun. 3 It's ridiculous how long it takes me to write these things, but I found myself going faster as the chapter progressed. Hopefully I can crank these things out each day? Maybe? ...Possibly? XD

Thanks for your reviews, and I hope you stick around to see the next installment. :) Cheers!


	4. Chapter 4

Dang, I am getting faster at this. I'm also getting annoyed that all my hearts are turning into "3's" because fanfiction takes the "lesser than" sign off. :( Baww. But the good news is that I managed to type this all in one sitting! Yay!

**Disclaimer:** As I'm sure we're all aware, I am not Stephenie Meyer and don't own anything involved in Twilight. I just own my Jacob-crazy imagination.

* * *

As my door thumped closed, I welcomed the kind opportunity to sit and think in privacy. My backside slid down the door to the carpet below where I remained still for a couple minutes, contemplating everything that had occurred thus far. The day's happenings flashed across my brain vividly, bringing back terrible and confusing memories. First, the rush of water and sensation of free-falling flooded my remembrance. I knocked my head against the door out of annoyance with myself, causing the forgotten bruises there to throb achingly. I'd practically tried to commit suicide.

"Pfft, that went well," I muttered to the ceiling, fingering the rib that refused to cease complaining.

Second, I'd had a suck-face fest with my best friend while we were both clogged with saltwater. _Awesome_, I thought, slapping myself in the face. That event I hastily shoved aside, blushing, before continuing my recollection. Third, I was now aware that my life was definitely being threatened by a livid, widowed vampire. Even_ more_ awesome. I'd already known she was after me, given my brief reunion with Laurent, but now she was going to try to get at me by hurting and quite possibly killing the only real friends I had left. Hmph. Just another hell of a day in the life of the bizarre, unlucky Isabella Swan. My nightmare briefly crossed my mind. I did a double-take as I remembered the horrible, vivid images. A lump began to swell in my throat; if my previous dreams had hinted at and even predicted events to come, could I trust this one to be meaningless? I vowed to discuss it with Jake later, but figured today wasn't the best day. No need to put him under more stress.

After reviewing everything important, I hesitantly brought my legs under my body and pushed upwards, ignoring the aches and bruises that disciplined me for my moment of rest on the floor. Carefully I began to unbutton my blouse, cringing at the amount of sand that clung to my skin, but caught sight of the naked window before the shirt had passed over my belly button. I headed over to my blinds and pulled them closed, just in case there were any patrolling werewolves outside with dirty minds. No doubt they'd be out and about after our encounter with Victoria.

At last, I shrugged my top and jeans off with some difficulty. The salt had left a slimy, gritty layer of film across my stomach and I could feel the irritating grime in my bra and underwear. My hands shot up to my hair and brought a lock to my nose for investigation. Ugh, it smelled like rotten sushi. So much for a quick change.

"Jacob!" I yelled, apparently too loudly. The exercise of my lungs made that annoying rib pulse angrily, causing a hiss to rush through my lips out of pain.

"What is it?" His voice was surprisingly close and alert, as if right outside my door. A shadow crept beneath the crack between the carpet and the wood. To my horror, the door handle began to turn.

"No, Jake, don't come in!" I whined quickly, groping for my yellow quilt, the nearest source of cover possible. Was he really that paranoid? "Calm down! There's nothing wrong."

"Then why does it sound like you're hurt?" Crap. Of course he'd caught onto that, the stupid watchdog. At least the door handle had returned to its stationary position.

"My rib's broken, you idiot! Of course it hurts," I rolled my eyes. "I just wanted to tell you that I need to take a shower."

I heard his throat clear anxiously. "Uh...so what? You need, like...help?"

"Eww, of course not! It's not my leg that's broken," I insisted, remembering when a certain little vampire girl had saved Charlie the embarrassment of helping his grown daughter bathe. "It's just going to take a bit longer."

His sigh of relief did not go unheard. "Oh, okay. Well, can I stay in your room while you're...doing that? I don't like the idea of you not being able to hear anything ."

"Jake, I doubt a hungry vampire's going to be so noisy a human could hear it under normal conditions anyway, but whatever floats your boat. Just hold on a second," I commanded in a voice that I hoped sounded serious, grabbing the quilt and a spare change of clothes. I wrapped the yellow blanket around my body as tightly as possible and chanced a glance at myself in the mirror. Wow, I looked worse than I'd thought. My mascara was smeared all over my cheeks and my hair looked like it had been rinsed with mud. I brought my hand across my face in an attempt to wipe off whatever I could of the soiled makeup, but most of it refused to budge. Grudgingly I lumbered over to the door and opened it, only to be met by Jacob's back as it smacked into my face before his balance was regained.

"Ow! And you call me the clumsy one?" I said, giving him a hard time. He turned around with a dark blush, rubbing the back of his head anxiously. I shoved him lightly with my free hand when I noticed where his eyes were trailing. Turning to look at my shoulder, the brilliant pink that was my bra strap contrasted brilliantly with my chalky pallor.

"I, uh...sorry," Jake managed to stutter.

I shot him a glare. "Eyes back in your head, mister. Now move, you're in the way."

I didn't turn to see him enter my room, but heard his feet shuffle ungracefully across the wood of the hallway until they were muffled by the carpet. As soon as the cold tile met my feet, I drove the bathroom door shut with my back a little more dramatically than necessary. To my confusion, a bout of silent giggles radiated from my chest, causing me to lean against the counter for support.

This day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

* * *

The hot water felt like a massage against my aching back. I'd skipped using hair products to avoid the pain caused by movement, but at least I wouldn't smell like a worker at the local fish-processing plant. With most of the salty evidence rinsed from my body, I wouldn't have to worry about that uncomfortable chafing in my clean underwear while we were at the hospital. That was sure to make the wait even more unpleasant.

After clambering out of the shower and donning my fabulous t-shirt and sweatpants, I opened the door to let Jake know I was decent. To my surprise and annoyance, he once again stood with his back to my face. "Paranoid much?"

"Hey, you said it yourself, Bella. Those suckers are fast; I don't want to give them the chance."

I sighed. "Fine. You can come in, you know. I just need to brush my teeth.

"_Paranoid_ about cleanliness, much?" he mocked in a miserable imitation of my voice, smirking as he walked into the bathroom and sat on the counter.

"I don't really want to have to explain why there's seaweed in my teeth to the doctor. It doesn't make for a very good image."

Jacob rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You look perfect to me, Bells."

"Right," I said, agreeing with his badly-channeled sarcasm.

I figured brushing my teeth wouldn't be a half bad idea to get rid of that nasty grit. All that was really necessary was bending my arm, which would hopefully make maintaining oral hygiene possible. While squirting out a dab of toothpaste onto my toothbrush, I became aware of Jacob's impatience through an annoyed stare. Rude. I meant to say "Hold on," but my mumble came out more like "Holmph onth."

His eyes trailed something invisible around the room. Apparently it hadn't been me he was glaring at after all. "Looks like a bloodsucker managed to squeeze its way in here."

"_What!_" I exclaimed, spattering foam all over the mirror. Was there a vampire that could turn invisible? I'd never heard of such a thing...and why could Jake see it?

To my great fury, Jacob's frame doubled over as he let loose a booming fit of laughter. His left hand smacked against the wall as his right wiped his streaming eyes. "Your face! Oh, you should have seen it!"

"How is this funny? Get your fury wolf-butt in gear! I'm surprised we aren't dead yet!" I shouted, glancing every which way for some sign of the vampire. Then, finally, something clicked into place.

"We aren't dead yet..." I muttered in complete confusion. Jake, having somewhat recovered from his outbreak of amusement, turned over his left hand and displayed the little black speck on his palm.

My jaw dropped open in disbelief. "A _mosquito_? Really? Ugh!"

I dropped my toothbrush and stomped out of the room, climbing ungracefully onto my bed and sitting with a large huff. Jacob, having wiped off his hand with a tissue, tramped into my room with an air of superiority. "Now who's the paranoid one?"

It was hard to suppress the laughter that would undoubtedly break out eventually, but I managed to maintain my irritated appearance. "Jake, you're an ass, you know that?"

That just set off another attack of chortling. "But a forgivable and huggable ass, right?"

I finally cracked. My chest complained fitfully as my giggles escaped. I gave in and wrapped my arms around his torso with care. "Yeah, that too. Now go grab one of my dad's t-shirts so that you don't have nurses staring after you in the hospital."

"Are you sure they'll be the only ones staring?" Jake taunted, winking.

I released his waist and feebly attempted to push him off the bed. "Unless the doctor's a girl or gay, I'm ninety-nine percent positive. Now go grab that shirt."

"Only ninety-nine percent?" he called as he headed down the hallway.

"Conceited jerk," I answered.

I heard him laugh. "Paranoid clean-freak."

* * *

"You need to get a cellphone, Bells."

That was random. One minute we'd been talking about the different ways Jacob wanted to maul and destroy Victoria, which might have been extremely disturbing had I not dreamed of the horrors she'd planned for me, and the next...technology? I broke my stare out the window and turned to look at him quizzically.

"Why?" I said hesitantly, not sure I wanted to hear the reasons. "My house phone works fine."

Jacob eyed me knowingly. "Yeah, but your house phone doesn't exactly fit in your pocket. What if you'd fallen off the cliff and I hadn't been there? Hmm?"

"The phone would have been wet and useless, and even if it had worked I wouldn't exactly be able to call while getting pounded against the cliff."

He sighed. "That's not the point. You're a danger magnet, Bella-" I feigned the look of being insulted, but he wasn't fooled "-and it's not unlike you to get into...bad situations. I can't just read your head and know where you are or if you're in trouble like the pack. Hell, one vampire could probably take out your entire school if it really wanted to get to you. I'm surprised Charlie hasn't gotten you one already, being police chief and all."

I shuffled uncomfortably. "My dad's not made of money. It's not like the idea hasn't crossed my mind, but it's never exactly been economic."

"Well, the pack has a plan with the cell provider in La Push that allows us to add another phone for ten dollars extra a month as long as it only makes calls within our billing zone. You could call me, or my dad, or even Leah if you really wanted to without getting charged," Jake offered, turning into the drive to the hospital.

"Leah's on your family plan?"

Jake nodded solemnly. "She and Seth both are, starting sometime this week. My dad brought it up while he was looking after Harry, hoping it would give him some consolation. He thinks they're going to need a father-figure to talk to after a while, especially Seth."

My eyes popped wide open. "Harry! Oh, I feel horrible for not asking sooner. How's he doing?"

Jake parked in front of the little hospital and turned off the engine. His head bowed noticeably. "Actually, while you were getting your things together and I was starting up the truck, my dad kind of called-" he pulled a little silver phone out of his pocket and fiddled with it, "-and gave me the news. Your dad's over there right now...he's gone."

So that's why Jacob's mood had shifted so suddenly once I'd gotten in the truck. And to think! I'd been afraid I still smelled bad.

I ignored the pain in my chest and hugged Jacob as tightly as I could, burying my face into the dark blue t-shirt he'd borrowed from my dad. It barely fit him. "I'm so sorry, Jacob."

"Me too. If monsters didn't exist, this entire ordeal wouldn't have happened. A girl shouldn't burst into a giant dog and practically kill her dad in the process. What kind of screwed up world is this?" he demanded, shouting the last bit and pounding the dashboard with his hands.

I rubbed his back, offering what comfort I could. "It's our world."

* * *

D'aww! Some much-needed fluff and some much-needed drama, yeah?

Tsudandi-hime - I'm not particularly planning on bumping the rating, no, unless the characters take over and demand it so.

Read and review! Every single word of encouragement makes me squeal in delight, but of course don't be afraid to criticize/correct. This _is_ my first story, after all. I'm all ears!

ETA: I'm sorry I keep replacing the content, but the little mistakes bug me. Do you guys get notifications each time? I don't really know how that works yet, so...if so, let me know so I'm more careful!


	5. Chapter 5

More? Yes, more! Even if it means loss of sleep on my part.

**Disclaimer:** I can't think of anything clever to put here at the moment, so here's the bland version. _Twilight_ and all elements related are copyright to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Jacob got a hold of himself fairly quickly, despite my insisting that he take as long as necessary. If I'd endured a broken rib for this amount of time, five more minutes certainly wouldn't be unbearable, but he assured me he was fine. So, after being offered Jacob's arm to lean on, we both entered the small hospital. I remembered one of the last times I'd been here and how I'd been puzzling over how it was possible for a seventeen year old boy to stop a skidding van in its tracks. Boy, had my life changed since then.

At the reception desk we were greeted by a bubbly, overly enthusiastic nurse who looked about twenty-five. It took her around a minute to take her muddy green eyes off of my human crutch before asking him what the problem was. I inserted myself into the conversation with slight annoyance, describing the pain and pointing to the sore area. She glanced dismissively at where I gestured before making a call to someone by the name of Doctor Harrington. Her bouncy brown curls danced when she talked, making me painfully aware of the miserable state of my own hair. I sneaked a glance at Jake to read his opinion of her looks, but his arm remained firmly wrapped around my waist as he studied a medical diagram above the cheery brunette's head. He turned to look at my side and began to say something when the receptionist butted in.

"Miss Swan? If you and your _friend_," she started, shooting Jake a flirtatious glance, "will come with me, please. Doctor Harrington is able to see you now."

She led us to a little room with the standard medical table and sink, assuring us that Doctor Harrington would be in quickly and asking Jacob if he needed anything before she returned to her post. He didn't even bother to turn to look where she stood in the doorway, hand waving her away easily with a quick word of thanks before hovering a hair's length above my ribcage. I looked at him with curiosity.

"What?"

"Do you mind? After looking at that diagram in the waiting room, I think I might be able to tell if it's actually broken," he said, laying his hand softly against my side.

I replied with clear disbelief. "I doubt after staring at a picture for five minutes you can figure that out."

"Just let me try?"

I shook my head doubtfully, but muttered, "Be my guest," allowing him to begin his little examination. His forefinger traced the gaps between my ribs with great care, so much that I barely registered its presence, before placing his palm flat against the bruised area. I became aware of just how close we were, so much so that I could see the stitching on Charlie's shirt, but remained still so as not to startle him. Heat warmed my uninjured side as his other hand felt around. Okay, this was getting a bit too personal.

"Is that really necessary?" I asked warily, starting to back up.

Dark brown eyes found my lighter ones, a glint of humor sparkling there. "Don't be stupid, Bella. I'm comparing, to see if both sides feel the same."

"Oh," I answered, a traitorous blush spreading across my face. "Okay."

It only took another few seconds before his contemplative expression turned confident. "There's some heat there. I figure it's not completely broken, but-"

"Ehem."

The smooth, irritated voice surprised the both of us. Jake spun around, hand disappearing from my side and instead reaching to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. I blushed, remembering his similar reaction when I'd walked into him with nothing but a quilt on back at the house. Clearing my head, I peeked around Jacob's side to see who'd spoken.

In the open doorway stood a woman who appeared in her mid-forties, visibly irritated by the first impression we had offered. Her hair was a dark gray, tied back into a neat, orderly bun. "Young man, if you need to wait outside...?" she started with a warning.

I half-expected Jake to oblige out of sheer humiliation, but wasn't exactly disappointed when he didn't. Doctor Harrington eyed him deliberately before motioning with her clipboard for me to sit on the table. I happily indulged, glad to be rid of the awkward wall that was Jacob's back. The werewolf himself took a seat next to the medical counter, looking awfully misplaced as his size overtook the little chair by a decent amount. He twiddled his thumbs, putting on the air of a scolded puppy. I giggled at the irony, earning myself another glare from the woman.

Doctor Harrington got to work quickly. Her first question was what had happened, to which I replied that I'd tripped over a root and fallen on a pointy boulder while hiking. Hey, it could happen.

After placing her clipboard on the table next to me, the doctor brought the stethoscope that was hooked around her neck to her ears. She reached under the bottom of my t-shirt and laid the metal piece on my bosom (Jacob turned to look at the wall), requesting that I take three deep, full breaths. This I was not anxious to do, wincing as my lungs inflated completely. Jotting down a note on her clipboard, the doctor unhooked the stethoscope. I assumed the receptionist had relayed the location of the ache, for she began to feel around the area carefully.

"You're going to need an x-ray to confirm it, but I believe it's just a crack."

I caught Jake's satisfied grin out of the corner of my eye as his suspicions were confirmed. I stuck my tongue out at him childishly while Doctor Harrington was fiddling with something in a cabinet above the sink.

While eying the labels on different bottles in the cabinet, she called from behind her back, "On a scale of one to ten, where would you place your pain when your lungs are fully inflated?"

"About an eight. Why?" I asked, only to be answered with what I'd feared.

"In order to heal fully, you're going to need to breath deeply frequently. It helps the bone set correctly and prevents the possibility of pneumonia. I'm trying to get an idea of what strength of pain medication you'll need," she continued, still fingering different containers of tablets and liquids.

"Now, if you'll come with me to the x-ray area, we can see just what we're dealing with." Jake began to stand and follow, but the doctor gave him a warning glance. "She'll need to undress for this part, and unless you're married to her, which I doubt, I suggest you wait out here."

Jacob's face turned a vivid scarlet despite his dark pallor. He immediately returned his backside to the chair and began twiddling his thumbs once again. I sent him a sympathetic glance before turning to follow Doctor Harrington.

* * *

"So you're Charlie's girl, huh?"

The x-ray had just been taken and I was currently in the process of putting on my t-shirt with the aid of my doctor. This statement shouldn't have taken me by surprise, given that my dad knew nearly everyone in town, but it still caused me to do a double-take.

"Uh, yea-yes ma'am. Why?"

She shrugged while carefully slipping my left arm through the appropriate sleeve. "I've known your father for a long time. You and I met one summer at the diner, but I doubt you remember. You were so little then, but just as cute."

I blushed, rethinking my opinion of this woman. Maybe she was someone I could grow to like.

"How long have you two been together?"

Maybe not. "Pardon?"

Her left hand waved aimlessly. "Oh you know, that boy waiting for you. You two are obviously very close. Isn't he from up on the Quileute reservation?"

My rosy chinks only turned brighter. "Um, yes, his dad's a good friend of my dad. We've known each other since we were kids, but it's...not exactly like _that_."

"I shouldn't have assumed," she apologized, opening the door but not moving to leave just yet. "But between you and me, it appears that _he_ thinks your relationship is a bit more than _that_. And my, he is a handsome man. Why turn him down?"

My irritation with this woman was growing by the minute. "It's complicated."

She appeared oblivious to my discomfort. "Ah, isn't it always? Well, anyway, better get back to him before he grows too worried."

_You've got no idea,_ I thought, heading out the door and straight towards the little room where Jake remained. As we entered a large grin crossed his face, all hints of embarrassment erased. Doctor Harrington gave me an annoying smirk before returning to the cabinet full of pain medication.

First Jacob looked at me, then the doctor. "So, what's the news?"

"Just a minor cracked rib, nothing a good three or four weeks of rest won't heal on its own. Unfortunately a cracked rib isn't something you can bandage, so she'll need to take this medication when she wakes up and at bed time during the healing process," she instructed, toggling a small bottle of pills.

"Okay, that's easy enough," I considered. "So what, I just wait for it to heal on it's own?"

"Refrain from sports or other physical activities," Doctor Harrington advised, looking at Jacob meaningfully and causing my palm to come into contact with my forehead. She continued as if nothing had passed between us. "Make sure to take deep, full breaths periodically, eat a balanced diet, and be patient. Other than that, you should be good to go," she said, smiling and handing me her instructions in written form.

"Thank you so much," I said more graciously than necessary as I accepted the paper, itching to leave. "So do I pay at the front, or...?"

"Don't worry about it, hon, I've got it covered. I can see you've had a trying day," she offered generously. Okay, maybe I could like her a little bit.

"Are you sure? I mean, I've got it covered-"

"No, no, it wasn't any trouble at all. Just make sure to stay rested, and don't forget this," the doctor insisted, handing me a little brown paper back with the bottle of medication tucked inside. "Now, on your way, and say hello to Charlie for me."

"No problem," I returned, blushing as Jacob wrapped his arm around me and wishing to get home as soon as possible before she could say anything more about our _relationship_. "And thanks again, Doctor Harrington."

"Please, call me Emily," she called down the hallway with a knowing smile. I only walked faster.

"Thanks, Emily."

* * *

"So what was your deal back there?" Jake asked as we pulled into my driveway.

After leaving the hospital, the darkness had taken me by surprise. I hadn't realized how late it was when we'd arrived; his cellphone displayed eight forty-five when we'd scrambled into my truck to head back. The ride home had been awkwardly silent, mostly because I was dreading how livid Charlie would be. Turns out he knew about Jake's cellphone and had tried calling it three times, but Jake had turned it off during our stay in the emergency room because it was about to die (which it did after attempting to call Charlie twice in the car, when only an annoying blip-blip-blip sound would respond).

Jake's question lingered in silence while I tried to think of something believable to tell him, which ended up falling flat. "I just didn't really like that woman."

His eyes searched my face, puzzled. "I can't say I did, either, but she seemed pretty friendly to you."

"Yeah, well, she was too nosey," I half-explained, hoping he'd drop it...

...which he didn't, of course. "About what?"

But before I could answer him, Charlie jogged towards us from the house, skipping every other stair down the porch. Thankfully I took the opportunity to get out of the truck to meet him, glad to be saved from Jacob's interrogation.

Charlie's arms wrapped around me gruffly, squeezing my side uncomfortably. "Bella! Thank God!"

I voiced my pain through a groan and Charlie's arms released instantly. "Sorry, Bells, I forgot about your rib...but you've just got to stop disappearing on me!"

I started to apologize until what he'd said fully registered. "Wait, how did you know about my rib?"

"Doctor Harrington called to tell me you'd dropped by and everything was accounted for," he started. Oh great, her again. "She figured you'd lost track of the time, considering how late you got there, and decided to give me a call just in case. It was only five minutes ago, though; I've been worried sick for the past hour, dialing about half the town."

Jake stood to the left of us awkwardly, allowing Charlie time for his spaz-attack to wear off. Finally, my dad seemed to register his presence. "Hey, Jacob. Bella been with you all day?" Wow, all day...you could say that. This morning seemed like it had happened a week ago, though.

Jacob looked at Charlie sheepishly. "Yes sir. I really should have let you know where we were, but Bella was hurt and with the news about Harry and all-"

"Don't worry about it, son. I know she's safe with you," Charlie assured him, dismissing Jacob's apologies. "It's getting late though, Jake. Shouldn't you be headed home? ...Do you even have a car with you?"

Well damn. I'd forgotten all about that. Both Jacob and I knew he'd have no trouble getting home, but obviously Charlie wasn't going to let him just "jog" the distance.

"Uh, no sir. See, Bella kind of drove to the reservation this morning and I've been driving her truck around ever since, so..."

Charlie, being the gentleman he was, offered Jacob a ride home that he didn't exactly have the choice to refuse. Poor Jake; now he'd just have to run back here later tonight when his shift of patrol duty started. I felt really guilty about that, knowing the pack would be losing sleep over me. Why couldn't Victoria just have shriveled up and died in the sunlight this morning like bad vampires were supposed to?

Dad assured me he wouldn't be more than twenty minutes before driving off in his police cruiser with Jake in tow. I hoped that they had known each other long enough that it wouldn't be extremely awkward between them.

* * *

My brief, solitary stay in the house was nothing close to pleasant. Despite the fact that some wolf was bound to be on-guard outside, I jumped at every little noise and spattered some of Charlie's chicken noodle soup all over the floor when a telemarketer called. I assumed Charlie had forgotten about dinner during my absence, but really started cooking in order to distract myself from the eerie silence that seemed to follow me everywhere.

Soon however, my fears were diluted as I heard the open and close of Charlie's car door. I gave him a quick hug, poured him some soup, and complained of being too tired to stay up any later. I was thankful that he didn't push me to describe the events of the day before allowing me to climb the stairs; I really wasn't up to it. It wasn't long after changing into my pajamas and turning out the light that I heard the television set go off and Charlie's feet thump up the staircase. Within another half-hour his snores began to serenade the house.

The endless noises of the night and pain in my ribcage made sleep impossible. I turned to peek at my unforgiving alarm clock which beamed one-oh-five at my heavy eyelids mockingly. I huffed in frustration and sat up, kneading my side. Then something clicked into place. I hadn't taken my pain meds. In fact, I was pretty sure they were still in the car. _Wonderful._ Was it really worth it?

In the end, I decided that it was. The hot sheets thrown aside, I got up and tiptoed to my door, opening it silently, and headed down the stairs. Before unlocking the front door I grabbed my jacket off of the coat rack, tossed it on, and braced myself for the chilly night air. It hit my numb body like a blast of sleet, to which my rib replied with a begrudged throb.

I ran over to my truck, propelled by fear and grabbed the little parcel, edging the metal door closed to eliminate as much sound as possible. As I turned around the bag slipped from my hands, taunting me.

I bent to pick the package up and nearly screamed as a dark hand shot to grab hold of it. The figure's other hand shot to my mouth, blocking the shriek. I looked up, afraid of what I'd see there, only to be met by the face of an exhausted-looking Jacob. He smirked. "_Paranoid_, much?"

A sigh of relief escaped my lips. "Jake, you look terrible! Why aren't you sleeping?"

He used one fist to rub his eye and stifled a yawn with the other. "Vampires don't sleep, remember? It's my shift."

I eyed him with disapproval. "Well come inside, at least. There's no reason for you to be out here in the cold, no matter how hot you are," I said, realizing too late how that reasoning could be taken. A blush stained each of my cheeks.

He laughed heartily at that, earning a glance that said, _Don't make me thwack you with this bag._

"You can sleep in my room, as long as you're quiet. There's no reason for you to not get enough sleep, especially after a day like this."

Now it was his turn to blush. "In...your room? You're okay with that?"

"It's fine; sleep on the floor if you want! We did that when we were little kids, right? Now hurry up before Charlie hears us."

Jacob finally accepted, a layer of scarlet plastered across his face as he glanced back towards the trees one last time. We ran into the house and up the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible, which was much easier for him than for me. I reflected on a time when Jake had been nearly just as clumsy as me. Why did I have to be the only one that tripped over air?

After arriving in my room and downing a pill for the pain, I tossed a couple blankets and a pillow to the floor on the side of my bed underneath the window, where Jacob would be less noticeable if Charlie decided to sleepwalk or something. I organized the bed linens to resemble a decent sleeping area, wishing there was some way to use the couch cushions from downstairs without Charlie noticing. Jacob seemed a bit uncomfortable the entire time, but I wasn't about to let him patrol outside while his eyes were ringed with such dark circles.

"You sure this is alright?" he asked for what must have been the fifteenth time. I assured him that I had no problem with it, once again insisting that sleep was necessary to maintain vampire-hunting strength. Finally, I scrambled back into bed and under the covers that remained, glad to be rid of the numerous layers.

"You're really sure?" he whispered quietly.

I chose to ignore him. "Good night, Jacob."

A content sigh met my ears. "Night, Bells."

* * *

Sorry for such an uneventful chapter, but we couldn't just let Bella's rib heal without some medical treatment, right? Right. Plus, a little fluff mixed in never hurt anyone.

I've decided to occasionally post a song that I think goes well with this story or Team Jacob in general, so here's the first one. "Not Your Enemy" by Jesse McCartney. Now don't give me that look; it really does fit. Just go listen to it and see what I mean. Remember, don't judge a book by it's cover! ;) Hehe.

Read, review...you guys know the drill. Happy reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Ick, sorry for the wait, everyone. Writer's block is a pain in the butt.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight yada yada yada.

* * *

I awoke as my eyelids turned a brilliant red. Blinking, my eyes opened to glare at the risen sun as it streamed through my window inconsiderately. I brought my fist to my eye to rub the sleepiness away when a revelation hit me with an astounding shock. No nightmares last night...weird.

Groaning, I lifted myself into a sitting position and rolled my shoulders to get rid of the stiffness that encompassed my body. My side responded with a strong ache, bringing back the memories of yesterday with it. I shook my head in disbelief; who knew so many freaking things could happen in one day?

My eyes wandered to the alarm clock on my bedside table. It displayed seven-thirty AM, the date, and Sunday. Ugh, that meant I had to deal with having a broken bone at school tomorrow. Spectacular.

I edged to the side of my mattress and peeked over the edge to find the massive form that was a snoozing Jacob. His body was stretched out so completely that, had he been on the bed, his feet would have dangled off of it by at least a foot. How a boy grew that much in a year, werewolf or not, was still beyond me. I smiled at his peaceful form, relieved that he'd finally gotten some well-deserved rest.

Charlie usually woke up at around eight, which gave me a half our or so to get breakfast on the table. Hopefully the scent of bacon and eggs would lure him downstairs, leaving Jacob undisturbed as he caught up on sleep. From what I remembered of the sleepovers of my younger days, Jake and his sisters had never exactly been morning people, but I couldn't trust that observation given his more-recent transformation. In case he happened to wake up while Charlie was still around, I grabbed a sharpie and sticky-note pad off of my desk and scribbled down a quick message.

"Charlie's here, but will probably work the weekend. Stay quiet until he leaves, then come down for breakfast. -Bella"

I peeled the paper off of its companions and stuck it to Jake's forehead tenderly to make sure he noticed it. The bright pink of the post-it contrasted awkwardly with his reddish complexion, triggering the image of Jacob in a fuschia pair of shorts. The image was so absurd that I decided one more piece of paper wouldn't hurt. I giggled quietly to myself before jotting down a second note for kicks and sticking it onto his face.

"By the way, you look fabulous in neon pink."

oOoOoOo

After scooting my door closed carefully and knocking on Charlie's to let him know I was up, I shuffled into the bathroom to take my pain reliever, then scuttled down the stairs and into the kitchen. I contemplated making waffles but decided against it, fearing the smell wouldn't be tempting enough. Instead I cracked a few eggs and made sausage-and-cheese omelettes with a dash of salsa, something I hadn't attempted since Ed-

...well, in a while.

I'd felt bad about how dull my cooking had gotten recently each time Charlie's face grimaced at the familiar selection of Poptarts. My guilt only doubled when I realized that I had been making the bland pastries for the past three months, prohibiting any creativity whatsoever to influence my dishes. I vowed to head to Port Angeles to buy a cook book the first chance I got, hopefully to make up for lost entrees.

Soon the steady _thump, thump, thump_ of Charlie's feet as they descended the stairs reached my ears. He stumbled in, hair in utter disarray, and muttered an unenthusiastic, "Morning, Bells."

His lack of curiosity was swept off of his face almost immediately, however, as his nose undoubtedly caught the scent of omelette. Brown eyes that resembled my own widened in wonder. "Honey, that smells amazing! Whatcha cooking?"

"Just some eggs," I shrugged, embarrassed.

He rolled his eyes. "Just eggs, she says. It smells a lot better than that. Is that salsa?"

I shrugged again. A smile broke across Charlie's face, causing me to grin widely in return. His eyes, if possible, popped open even wider the minute I flashed my teeth. "You feeling alright, Bella?"

"Right as rain," I assured him, keeping an eye on the eggs. Obviously, Charlie had every right to be shocked at the change in my mood. For the past...four, five - I'd lost count - months I'd all but been sulking in my own grave. I was a bit confused by my cheerful mood, myself, but welcomed the new-found peace gladly. I hesitantly felt for the hole in my chest, pleased that it proved difficult to locate. My face fell as I found it, however, considering the memories it brought with it.

Fortunately, my depression was short-lived. I slipped an omelette from the pan to a clean plate and passed it to Charlie. He assured me that the eggs tasted spectacular by gobbling it up speedily and asking for a second helping. I smiled warmly at him and reached into the fridge to grab a couple more eggs. My grip on them almost failed me as my father's next question met my ears.

"So...this," he began, waving his fork so that it motioned to my entire body, "doesn't have anything to do with Jacob, does it?"

It was all I could do to keep myself from crushing the eggs in my hands. My teeth clenched together as angry blush crept across my face. I forced myself to face the refrigerator in order to keep my face hidden. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I heard Charlie cough awkwardly. "Come on, now, Bella. You're going to tell me that you just woke up today, happy as can be, all by yourself?"

My blush only deepened as he said this, the non-intentional meaning behind it blatantly ironic. Technically, I _had_ woken up alone. Jake had still been asleep. Thank God I was still staring at the fridge.

Charlie continued. "People don't come out of depre-...out of pain that suddenly without help, honey. You can tell me that you're just feeling better all you want, but I'm not the only one that sees something. When Dr. Harrington called last night, she mentioned how Jake and you seemed really close. Close than friends."

That woman again. She was just determined to get on my bad side, wasn't she?

I couldn't believe it when Charlie started laughing. I saw nothing funny about this. "I was pretty concerned at first, actually, because she mentioned a kid that looked around twenty-five rather than sixteen. Jake really has grown a lot lately, hasn't he? Never seen a growth spurt like it...but that's not the point. Look at me, Bella."

Grudgingly I turned to face his direction. He smirked when my blush became visible. "Sometimes, change can be a good thing, sweetie. It's time to move on; he's not coming back."

The whole in my chest burned in response. I clenched my free fist in order to suppress the sadness that threatened to take over, not wanting to feel the pain. After making my breakfast and Charlie's second, the atmosphere screamed with discomfort. We ate in silence, I not sure if correcting Charlie's assumptions a good idea.

In the end, I decided that I didn't like talkative Charlie much.

* * *

I banished all thoughts of Charlie's conversation after he left for work, muttering about the mysterious cases that refused to be solved. I pitied him, knowing his worries wouldn't be satisfied by a convicted serial killer or anything of the like. At least his absence gave me the chance to clean the kitchen without further lectures. I was briefly stumped for an excuse when Charlie demanded what had happened to my truck after stepping outside, but finally settled on saying it had been vandalized while Jacob and I were "hiking" and that I didn't know who had done it. My lie must have been believable, for I shortly heard his cruiser start up and depart. At least I wouldn't have to explain the fact that my truck had been mauled by a giant wolf today.

Bubbles got all over my sleeves as I washed the dishes in silence. Soon, however, that silence was broken as a startling prod caused me to gasp and drop the dish I'd been working on. It clattered into the soapy water undamaged, but succeeded in getting my t-shirt drenched. Sizzling, I turned around to face an amused Jacob, sticky notes still plastered to his forehead.

"You look fabulous in pink yourself. Possibly even better than I do, though I doubt it," he said jokingly, eying my loose pajama pants in between the pieces of paper. I'd finally cracked open the Victoria's Secret pajamas my mom had sent me for Christmas, and they were indeed a vibrant magenta.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well, my skin doesn't clash with it quite as much as yours does," I said, peeling the paper from his face and sticking it on his arm. "See?"

"I think I pull it off magnificently," Jake said, flexing his arm and causing the paper to flutter feebly.

I gave him a wicked smile. "Maybe I should get you a hot pink shirt and force you to wear it. Then we can see how _magnificent _you look in it."

"Oh really? How would you force me to wear it, exactly?"

I sneakily cupped a handful of dishwater as he awaited my answer. "Because I'll drown you if you don't."

He snickered. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Like this!" I exclaimed, flinging the sudsy water into his face. I erupted in laughter as he stood there flabbergasted. My frame shook with giggles that hurt my ribcage, but I was too entertained to care.

His motionless daze didn't last long, though. "You really shouldn't have done that," he said with a mischievous smile. Before I could react, his hand dunked into the sink and splashed my side. The water seeped through my soaked clothes, chilling my skin and soothing my burning rib.

I laughed and punched Jake lightly. "Okay, okay, we're even. Now how about some breakfast for the ferocious werewolf?"

His face, to my amusement, took on the look of a starved puppy. "Yes, ma'am!" He replied, already reaching for the extra omelettes that I'd made after Charlie's departure. Within three minutes the food's presence was gone, all evidence licked clean. I grabbed for his plate to wash it, but he insisted that he clean up himself. I gave him a quick hug of thanks, only to push back hurriedly and glare at him with disapproving eyes.

"You didn't take a shower last night, did you?"

His feet shuffled hesitantly. "Uh..."

I snatched the plate out of his unsuspecting hands and began scrubbing. "You smell like a wet dog, literally. I'll handle this. You. Shower. _Now._"

He groaned in complaint. "Sure, sure."

I patted him on the head. "Good boy."

* * *

"So you got the talk too, huh?"

Confused, I set my copy of _To Kill A Mockingbird_ on the nightstand beside my bed. After finishing with the dishes and seeing that the soapy floor was well-mopped, I'd headed up the stairs to my room, changed out of my damp PJ's, and settled down to read. It looked as if Jake had finished showering; he stood in my doorway, hair dripping all over the carpet, bare-naked other than the towel wrapped around his waist. My face heated considerably, making answering his question difficult.

"The...talk? Wha-? Wait, where are your clothes?"

"Why should you be the only one allowed to walk around in nothing but a towel?" he asked, sauntering over to the bed and plopping down next to me. From closer up I realized his skin was still glistening with water that, to my surprise, didn't evaporate off of his body. It was hard not to notice at that point how handsome he looked; his anatomy bore no traces of the gangly fifteen year old I'd once known. Jake had grown into a man...a very attractive man (although I'd never admit it). I scooted closer to the headboard, attempting to avoid any physical contact. No doubt he'd feel the heat coursing through my veins if he hadn't already noticed my face.

I shook my head from its dazed stupor. "Well, it is my house. You could be a bit more modest."

"Why?" he ventured smugly. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Well, you're hair's dripping all over my bed for one thing."

"Oh really? How about now?" he asked, whipping his mop of hair like a dog would shake out its wet fur. Droplets sprinkled everywhere from my bedspread to my face.

"Jake, quit it! I already changed once!"

I shoved against him, laughing, only to realize how heated his chest truly was as my hands made contact. His skin felt warmer than normal, if possible. I chanced a glance at Jacob's warm brown eyes which, when they met mine, took on an oddly glazed appearance. Suddenly a hot rush spread through my limbs, causing even the skin on my arms to turn pink. The feeling was strange and exciting. It echoed through the hole in my chest, bringing back a familiar taste. Passion.

I tensed, fighting the sensation as it battled to overpower my common sense. I forced my arms to cross across my own body with some effort, frightened by this emotion that had urged me to explore Jacob's arms, abs, back...everything. Excuses flew through my mind, but in the end I couldn't deny the instinctual thirst that had nearly taken over my senses. My entire being shied away, afraid of the suffering that would surely follow such an emotion.

I sat there, curled up, not sure what to make of what had just happened. My shocked stupor was broken by a forced cough. Grimacing, I forced myself to look at my friend, who looked nearly as confused as I undoubtedly did.

"So, uh...does your dad have a big pair of sweatpants?"

Not knowing if I could speak reasonably, I only nodded. Jake's weight left the edge of the mattress, leaving me to dwell in my own private thoughts, which consisted of just one question.

What the_ hell_?

* * *

Jacob did manage to forage some sweats from my dad's drawer. Being properly clothed, we awkwardly decided to head to Jake's so that he could work on the truck's dented frame. We sat in a stiff silence for a while, listening only to the tires as they bumped over each groove of the road's pavement.

Finally, unable to take it any longer, I broke the quiet with a question that had been burning my tongue.

"What did you mean by _the talk_?"

"Well, last night when your dad was driving me home, he decided to discuss some things..." he trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging. I had a feeling I wouldn't like where this was going, but my curiosity overwhelmed me.

"What kind of things?"

"He said that the doctor-lady called."

My palm made contact with my forehead. "I'm really starting to hate that woman."

Jake laughed quietly. "Anyway, I guess you know what she said. Charlie wanted to discuss, erm...boundaries."

An expression of disbelief littered my face. I groaned, imagining the awkwardness of that brief road trip. Maybe that was why Jake had been so reluctant to sleep over. "And you didn't stop him?"

His face turned to look at me seriously. "Should I have, Bella?"

"Yes! Why would you even need to know that kind of thing?"

"Because!" he sighed, exasperated, before an embarrassed mask took over his appearance. "It's not like it's not a...possibility, right?"

I started to interrupt him, but he'd have none of it. "Come on, Bella. Why not?"

_Because I'm broken. Because I don't deserve you. Because I'll never get over him._ Reasons crawled through my brain, prompted by the memory of a certain bronze-haired archangel. I remained silent on the outside.

A look of determination crossed Jacob's face. Uh oh. "You can't pretend yesterday at the beach didn't happen. Hell, you can't pretend that fifteen minutes ago didn't happen! You're my best friend, but you could be more than that. You already are to me. I can't stand seeing you in pain like this, and I know I could make it go away if you'd just let me. Please let me try."

His sentiments flooded me with emotion. First pain, then joy, then anger, then more pain. I pushed myself against his side, only to feel his arm wrap around me lightly. At his touch, the pain lessened to the point that it thumped dully inside my chest. Perhaps what he said was true. Could he really mend this broken heart?

I felt his lips brush against my hair softly. "Please, just let me try."

My cool hand found the warm one that enveloped my side. I held on, bracing myself. "I'm scared."

"Of what, honey?"

I wasn't sure how to answer without pouring my pathetic emotions across his lap, so I took the simple way out. "Lots of things."

"I'll protect you from it all, Bella. Just promise to protect this," he said, motioning to his own heart.

Not sure if that were possible, I ducked my head and sighed.

"I'll try, Jake."

* * *

*gasp* Dramaaaaaa!

I had a song that went pretty well with Jake and Bella's relationship, but...I fail and don't remember what it was. Oopsies. You guys have any ideas?

Please review! I need motivation to break though this darn writer's block. It's pretty thick; hopefully my writing didn't sound too forced.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the wait, guys! Your reviews made me smile and laugh, and I've managed to shove this chapter through my writer's block. I've got lots of ideas; it's just writing them down that's proving difficult, but I'm still trucking along. I'm glad the last chapter didn't seem forced to you guys!

**Disclaimer:** Twilight was not born from my imagination, but of Stephenie Meyer's. *sigh* Why, cruel world? Why?

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The ride to Jacob's place was quiet. I wasn't sure of what to say without rekindling our awkward conversation, so I simply leaned into Jake's embrace and stared at the trees as they sped by. My mind buzzed with muddled thoughts that refused to leave me in peace. First came the guilt for giving Jake false hope, and second came the worrisome fears that he would try to push our friendship to the limits after today. Sure, I could try to be what he wanted, but I knew with all of my being that in the end we would both be left broken. It wouldn't be fair to him to pretend that my heart was capable of fully loving someone. Eventually I would reject him, leave him hanging…prove his feelings futile by pushing him away. No doubt he would be crushed, and I couldn't bear knowing it was my fault.

But was it really fair to him now? Wasn't I roughly doing the equivalent of what I was trying to avoid by being this close to him? Yes, I decided, it was unfair. But the stitches he'd provided ran so deeply through the hole in my chest that separation was no longer a choice I was capable of physically making.

I could punch myself for being so selfish.

Soon Jake's house came into view, but he drove past it and parked in his garage out back. His hand only left mine when it was forced to in order to begin work on the truck. I shrugged his clinginess off dismissively; Jake always held my hand. That wasn't exactly new. He began working on the body of the vehicle with nothing but his hands, feeling where Paul's weight had bent it out of place. With a resounding bang, his palm suddenly smacked the metal with a force strong enough to break bone. I gasped and rushed to his side, fearing the worst, but he simply smiled and flexed his fingers with ease, then motioned to where a dent had previously been on the hood. No trace of the injury remained on either his hand or the vehicle. A sigh of relief blew through my lips. Would I ever get used to his indestructibleness?

Few words passed between us as he reframed the truck, mostly because there was no way to make any decent conversation with all the clanging going on. After a while, though, his body began to glisten with sweat from the effort of reshaping the metal. I insisted he sit down and rest, and with a little persuasion he agreed, grabbing a warm soda from his stock in the corner of the garage before coming to sit against the wall next to me. A complaint formed on my tongue as I handed him a rag for his face, but died unspoken when I realized that he didn't smell sweaty. This morning he'd reeked of fish and dirt from the beach yesterday, but now that he had showered a musky, woodsy scent clung to his skin. I'd heard of some body odors appealing to women, but never really believed it until now.

Jake seemed thoughtful, his fingers stroking gently through my hair as he examined his work and sipped his cola. I understood why he was reluctant to speak, but his silence scared me. What thoughts were running through that boy's head? I briefly wished I had the ability to browse his thoughts until the memory of a certain mind-reading angel flashed across my mind's eye. His flawless skin and bronze hair, accompanied by that perfect face, consumed my musings.

An angry, irritable wave coursed through my veins. I surprised myself with the fury that boiled inside for the angel. Suddenly, a stream of accusations forced itself to that part of my brain that simulated Edward's presence. His name evoked a fresh flood of animosity. _Why did you leave like that? How could you be so selfish after all we've been through? It's sick…_you're_ sick! This is all your fault!_

Yelling felt incredible, wonderful, even if it was silent and, therefore, not exactly yelling. My emotions burst forth from their seclusion, escaping the hole in my chest with flourish. It was as if every fiber of feeling that had been depressed by my…well, depression, suddenly broke free of the ties holding it down. I felt so free, so alive. So infuriated. My mind's Edward, acting on my whims and wishes, had no choice but to sit there subjected to my rage. Guilt for hurting him, despite the fact that he was imaginary, threatened to taint my anger, but I would have none of it. After all, he had hurt me first.

My array of accusations was broken as Jacob looked at me with concern and removed his hand from my hair. Apparently my face had grown hot and donned the expression of an unhappy bear, because his voiced was laced with caution. "Um, you okay, Bella? You look kinda pissed."

I really couldn't help it. The fact that Jacob looked something similar to scared set me off. Before I knew it I was stomping around the garage, ranting and cursing and knocking over anything I had the strength to move. I mumbled furiously, rushing my words so incoherently that only every other word was understandable.

At first Jacob seemed worried that he had provoked this madness, given his regretful expression, but soon lightened up as he realized his name wasn't the one I was shouting. He was still shocked, but in a smug sort of way. Finally I settled down and plopped onto his lap with a huff, still muttering threats and the like. I crossed my arms stubbornly, refusing to let go of my bitter mood.

Jake's arms snaked around my sides as an entertained chuckle escaped his lips. "Feel good to get that out of your system?"

"You have no idea."

He rolled his eyes. "I may be able to relate a bit more than you think. Instinctual hatred, remember?"

"Well, yeah, I guess you probably can," I admitted. Of course Jacob would understand.

"I'm surprised. I didn't think you could look that much like a werewolf." His warm breath tickled the back of my neck as a laugh escaped him. I felt the hairs stand up at the sensation.

I giggled fitfully, unable to contain it any longer. We sat together like that for a while, just laughing. It felt so nice. I poked at the chasm in my chest carefully, only to find that it had all but disappeared. I breathed a contented sigh and relaxed in Jake's arms. He snuggled me gently and buried his face in my hair, breathing in deeply. The moment seemed too intimate, but for the time being I allowed it to last. The protective, safe sensation of his body enveloping mine felt too good to pass up, so I simply succumbed to my selfishness and enjoyed it.

However, it wasn't meant to last. To our combined surprise, Embry chose that moment to jog into the garage, only to be met by the sight of Jake and me. An obnoxious grin crossed his face as the both of us scrambled up, blushing fiercely. An angry glare sat above Jacob's clenched jaw, shooting daggers at his friend.

"What?" he demanded impatiently.

Embry's face dripped with his cocky smile. "Well, I was just coming to tell you that Sam wants to talk, but if you're too busy nuzzling your _girlfriend_ I can just-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way," he interrupted heatedly before taking off towards the trees. Embry shrugged and turned to follow him, but not before winking in my direction.

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It wasn't long before I saw Jacob's large russet head appearing from the bracken, shaking off the twigs as they snagged his coat. His face, although it was difficult to tell, seemed frustrated. He was alone, which surprised me. Why would he come back without phasing if none of the other wolves were around? I gave him a questioning look, hoping to satisfy my curiosity. His maw parted in a fashion that I assumed was supposed to be a grin. Such an expression would have been comical had his mouth not been full of deadly-looking teeth.

I beamed back at him, thankful that I no longer had to wait alone. Even though I knew Victoria would come no where near here given how nearby the wolves were, I couldn't help but jump at every little creak the garage's structure procured. Unsure of whether I could approach him, I waited.

His eyes rolled from where they were, hidden by the leaves and other brush. With a twist of his head he beckoned me forward. I all but ran to him, skidding to a stop in front of his shaggy chest. Cautiously I reached and brushed through the fur with my fingers, marveling at its soft texture. With a shock I realized how much it ironically represented him. Like his canine form, Jacob was a fortress of strength and fierce appearance, but when it all boiled down, he was just a great old softy in truth. I rested my face against him and breathed deeply, surprised that he smelled exactly the same. There was no trace of animal-scent about him. His heart beat beneath my ear, slowly and steadily.

I tilted my head back to gaze at his reaction. A dazed, peaceful look occupied his brown eyes as he stared back. His muzzle lowered so that he could look me squarely in the face. I scratched the space between his eyes, amused when a groan of pleasure rumbled in his chest. Before I could evade it, his tongue swiped across my face playfully. Jumping in disgust, I dabbed my face with my sleeve. "Eww! C'mon, you couldn't think of a less-slobbery way to say thank you?"

He barked a gruff laugh before crouching so that his shoulder blades were level with my stomach. Tail wagging, his head inclined backwards.

It took me a second to get what he meant, but once I caught on a bout of nervousness took over. I'd taken horseback lessons when I was younger on one of my mother's whims, but it had turned out to be too expensive to continue. Plus, I had fallen off so often that it probably would have been hazardous for both me and the horse if I'd continued.

I backed up. He prowled forward. I took two steps backwards. Jake took four.

Guess I wasn't going to get out of it. "But what if I fall off?"

The only reply I received was his wolfish laugh. I took a deep breath before clambering on, afraid I'd somehow end up facing his rump. He eased up slowly, then with a jolt took off through the trees on a well-worn path. The wind streamed past my face, making my eyes water.

I barely bounced at all as I clung to his neck. My calves squeezed his sides for dear life, but his back was so level as he loped that it was hardly necessary. His gait was nothing like the bumpy trot of the ponies from years before. Hands buried deep into his neck fur, I inched upwards a little and risked a look at the surroundings. We were fenced in by tall pine trees that seemed to frame the path ahead. I had just decided that this type of running was much more comfortable when riding a wolf than a vampire when a clearing up ahead came into view. Jacob slowed as we left the forest, giving me a chance to get a detailed look at our surroundings.

A grassy field stretched for many yards around us. Several trails wove their way across the ground, worn by the massive paws that had tread there countless times. In the center stood a massive, black boulder that harbored a large crevice. The depression in the rock formed a sort of cavern tall enough for a wolf to stand inside comfortably. Jake padded into the cave, causing me to crouch a little in order to avoid hitting my head on the rocky ceiling. In the middle of the stone was a round pool the size of a small tire, fed by a trickling stream that fell from a hole in the ceiling directly above the water. Clouds traveled across the pool's surface lazily, reflected perfectly.

It was beautiful. Carefully, Jacob lowered his haunches to the ground and slid his front paws forward until he was laying on his belly. I slid off, surprised to find that the walls were dry and warm as I used them for support. Jake's panting echoed across the rocks, making it sound like many wolves surrounded me rather than just one.

A curious thought hit me. "Is this the pack's meeting place?"

He nodded, tongue lolling. I gazed at the walls, gorged by the claws of many wolves of both past and present. Sketches of various animals adorned the walls, occasionally equine or rodent in appearance, but most of them canine. One such painting depicted the face of a dazzling white wolf. A red spiral trailed from the wolf's forehead as it gazed outward from the stone. From this angle, its eyes were reflected by the pool on the floor. The stream continued to drip endlessly into the pool, rippling the water's surface. As the waves passed over the animal's eyes, it appeared as if it were able to gaze into the deepest depths of my soul, reading every ounce of regret and guilt I kept. Frightened, I tossed my head to clear it of the hypnosis.

I pointed at the painting, desperate to know the story behind it. "What's this one supposed to mean?"

Jake shrugged his massive shoulders. Disappointed, I moved on to another, this time showing a crouching human figure surrounded by the corpses of several wolves. It resembled many in the cave, all depicting a man (or occasionally a woman) encircled by the bodies of either human or canine victims in various were more abstract than others, but the meaning of this one was perfectly clear. The human was bathed in the animals' blood, red eyes glowing from its face as it held the head of a woman by the hair. From behind me I heard a rumbling growl. I turned away, not wanting to look at the scene any longer, before returning to where Jacob lay. His panting had ceased and his face had a guarded look about it. I smiled reassuringly and came to rest beside him, leaning on his side. His body relaxed against mine, breathing a sigh of relief.

The steady _drip drip drip_ of the water and the rhythmic press of Jacob's ribcage as he breathed in and out was soothing. I felt my eyelids falling as a wave of sleepiness overtook me. For a moment, I imagined I was back in the garage, wrapped in Jake's arms. The feeling had been so comfortable, so secure...so warm. A content smile crept across my lips as the both of us succumbed to the lull of the cavern. The stone echoed our breaths so that they seemed from one being, both breathing in to keep the unite alive.

That is, until Jake started snoring.

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